The Economically Efficient NBA Team | HOOPSWORLD.com | NBA News and Information: "Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball, points out that in 2002, when Zito won the American League's Cy Young Award, the A's paid him just $295,000 -- less than the NBA's minimum salary at any point since the start of the 21st century. Zito didn't pick the wrong sport, as he'll be making up for lost salary time when he hits the free-agent market in a couple of years, but, for the time being, his loss is the A's gain. "